Marvellous Marcel Cole only gives us the silent treatment for the first half of his one-hour biography on Charlie Chaplin. It’s a funny, clever ode to one of cinema’s greatest icons, taking us through his success in silent films to his transition into talkies; from finding the love of his life to being expelled and barred from America.

Cole looks the part as he smoothly weaves scenes from Chaplin’s films with scenes from life, using various audience members for other characters to great comic effect. It’s light-hearted, wholesome fun, relying only on participants who are willing to get up and be a part of these short scenes.

The high stage makes it difficult to read text projected onto the back screen at times, most particularly for those in the front rows when there’s multiple people on stage, but it does make for better viewing overall given the flat seating of the small auditorium.

Cole is a fine actor and comedian. He portrays the physicality and comedic timing of Chaplin with a natural ease, but he finds equal truth in the fewer, more serious moments of the play. 

As the name of the play suggests, Cole will bring more than just a smile to your face. The play is an hour of laughs and giggles, all thanks to the charm and talent of the actor. But more so than that, he’ll inspire a curiosity to know more about the man and myth that was Charlie Chaplin. What better ode could there be?